Movie Review #18 - "Into The Blue (2005)"

Movie Review #18 - "Into The Blue (2005)"

 This one is a little tough to write about since the death of Paul Walker ... Unfortunately, Paul Walker died in a fiery car crash this past weekend ... I wasn't going to review this one for a while ... But ... This might be "Paul Walker Week".  And no, I am not reviewing any of "The Fast and The Furious" movies ... That's for another time ...

While many people did not know Mr. Walker from any of his other works, I truly enjoyed several of his film projects ... "The Legend of Bobby Z" ... "The Lazarus Project" ... and more to come ...

Well ... This one's for you Paul!

On IMDB:  "Into the Blue (2005)"

Benny's Tabasco Rating:  5 / 10 Tabasco Peppers

Synopsis:  A couple living in the Bahamas is living a life of working hard to make ends meet.  Both of them love the ocean.  Jared, played by Paul Walker, is a treasure hunter with a busted up boat and is working crappy jobs to make ends meet.  His friend, Bryce (played by Scott Caan), shows up and provides a way for them to go treasure hunting for an old shipwreck named the Zephyr.  Insert intense car chases, a mean bad guy, drugs, and sharks ... 

On the surface, it's a fun movie to watch ... A little deeper and there's not a whole lot to it ... But if you love the ocean and like to see some action scenes, you'll like it ...

Casting:  Paul Walker plays Bryce, the lead character ... He fits the role well ... His personal life involved the water as he was an avid surfer ... He and Scott Caan (who plays Bryce) were roommates and surfer together ...

But then again ... For the guys, Jessica Alba plays Sam, Jared's girlfriend ... She doesn't exactly get quality lines ... But then again, she can dive ...

There are a couple of other casting choices that were excellent.  Josh Brolin plays the evil boat captain of a treasure hunting crew ... Ashley Scott (you might know her from the TV Show, "Jericho") plays Bryce's girl friend.

Cinematography:  First, as a avid ocean lover and former surfer, I thought the shots they chose were AWESOME!!!! Having been in the water with a shark (about 4 feet away) in Australia, I completely understand the fear that it can bring ... Jessica and Paul didn't seem to be too afraid as their characters or individuals (see the extra footage on the DVD).

Direction:  This film was directed by John Stockwell ... He was the actor in the first scenes on "Top Gun" who freaked out with the MIG jet in the first scenes ... He became a director and also did "Blue Crush" ... I have a feeling he likes the ocean as much or more than I do ... 

Some of his direction was a little weak at times ... But I blame the writers ...

Writing:  This is a typical good guy wins at the end ... There aren't many surprises or twists that you don't see coming ... Again ... Jessica Alba in a bikini ... That's enough for me ...

Overall Review:  It's not a great film ... If you love the ocean, like the "visual" perspective of the actors, and like an action flick, you'll enjoy it ... Does it compete with "Gone With the Wind" or "Top Gun", nah ... I liked it ... and have watched it many times ... 

It's not on Netflix ... Amazon has it to rent or I'm sure that Walmart has it in the $5 bin ..